BOARD REITERATES NEED OF CLASSROOMS

Although part of their request had been denied earlier this week, school board members agreed Thursday night to reaffirm the need for two additional portable classrooms at Hebron Elementary School.

And along with their letter to the capital improvement plan committee should be a note stating that the committee may be overstepping its bounds by stipulating that the board can rent only one additional classroom, members said.

"I thought it was the responsibility of the board of education to determine the programming for students in the school system," said School Superintendent Frederick William Davis.

Monday night, members of the capital improvement committee approved one of the two portable classrooms the school board had requested. They also approved $35,750 to continue the lease on two portable classrooms now used at the school, and $28,000 for work on the play area at Gilead Hill School. They also agreed to have the driveways sealed at both schools, and have the gym floor at the elementary school restored.

The additional portable classrooms had been requested to alleviate overcrowding problems at the elementary school.

Members of the committee said the school board had not discussed all of the alternatives, such as increasing class size or reconfiguring the elementary schools, said board member Mary Rudewicz, the board's liaison to capital improvements.

School board members Thursday said that while they knew the capital improvements committee could decide on a bottom-line figure, the panel could not say what items specifically should be funded. That, school officials contended Thursday, is their responsibility.

"Where is their function of responsibilty and where's ours?" asked school board member George Blain. "With this prioritized list we're saying that if they're going to allocate this much, this is what we want to spend it on. I don't think it's appropriate for them to say where the money should go."

"I think the requests we made for two additional portables is imperative," said Frances V. Bilodeau, principal at Hebron Elementary. Having only one additional portable, she said, would accommodate a third sixth-grade class, but would not address needs of children in transitional classes.

Other officials have suggested moving transitional students to Gilead Hill, but that would not work, said board Chairwoman Dawn McKay.